5 Unexplained Legends About Creatures of Unknown Origin

The legends about unexplained people who came from far away with their mysterious origins are nothing new and have been puzzling people for centuries. While some of them found a more or less logical explanation, the others still remain a complete mystery and continue to raise questions about the character’s origin.

1. The Legend of Green Children

The Woolpit village sign | Source

The legend of green children originates in the village of Woolpit in England. It was created in the 12th century and it states that once during the harvest time the people of Woolpit found two children, which had nothing unusual in their appearance except for the fact that their skin was green. The children, a boy and a girl, spoke in an unknown language and refused to eat any food given to them but green beans. They were taken to house of one of the villagers and with time, as they got used to their new lifestyle and they started to eat normal food, their skin lost its green color. The children stated that they were brother and sister, and that they came from a place where the sunlight never shone brightly and they lived in constant dim light. They named their land St. Martin's Land and noted that everything there was green. The two did not know and could not give any explanations of how they ended up in Woolpit, explaining that they were following their father’s cattle and suddenly found themselves there. Though the boy died when he was young, the girl grew up and worked as a servant in the household of the man who found her and let her live in his home. She was known for her loose nature, although eventually she got successfully married. It is unknown if the legend is true or not, but there are several versions which would explain the appearance of green children, including disease and the imagination of villagers. Whatever was the case the Woolpit village is a very well-known touristic place today, for its unique Green Children legend.

2. The Legend of Utsuro-bune

Utsuro-bune on 19th century drawing | Source

The legend of Utsuro-bune comes from Japan, and it says that one day in the 19th century fishermen of the Hitachi province found a strange boat that was drifting in the waters not far from the shore. The fishermen tugged it to the shore and found out that the structure was some kind of a boat, more than 9 feet tall and about 20 feet wide. Its lower half was covered with metal plates, and its windows made of glass and covered with bars. The inner side of the boat was covered with texts in unknown languages, had some remains of water and food, and, which was even more strange, it had a woman residing in it. The woman was young, in her twenties, or younger, her hair red with the tips white, looking like they were added to make her hair longer. She was dressed in rich clothes, although it resembled nothing like the clothes from different cultures known to Japanese people those days. Her height was about 4 feet 11 inches. The woman appeared friendly and polite, although she spoke an unknown language and no one could understand her. She carried a small box made of a pale material with her all the time, its size about 2 feet long, which she was very protective of, not letting anyone touch or open it. The elder of the village decided that the woman was a princess in exile and sent her away in the boat she was found. Although, no one can explain the strange story of Utsuro-bune, there are several possible versions of what could happen in the fishermen village. One of them states that the woman could be of a Russian, or other European origin. The others explain it as a simply folkloric tale.

3. Monkey Man of New Delhi

Indian monkeys | Source

The reports of the Monkey Man from New Delhi started in the year 2001, and still continue to this day. The legend says that there is a monkey-like creature, or half-monkey, half-man person, who has been seen around New Delhi, sometimes attacking people, and other times avoiding them. The Monkey Man became some kind of an Indian version of Bigfoot, although some people compare it to Hanuman, the Indian Monkey God. The difference between the Bigfoot and the Monkey Man though is that the latter one has a very serious incidents connected to them. At least one death and 35 injuries were connected to the Monkey Man, and the police were seriously investigating it. The deaths, according to witnesses, appeared when the people of Delhi were sleeping on the roof, to escape the heat, and the creature violently attacked them. The other contacts with the man, though, described it as more peaceful, as farmers reported him stealing food, or escaping to the woods. The creature is described as tall, hairy, and having the very monkey-like movements, surviving long jumps and leaps from the high buildings. The Monkey Man incidents created a huge panic in the area in 2001, and until this day the police and the people aren’t sure about what exactly the thing was.

4. Gef the Mongoose

A mongoose | Source

Not a human, but still a rather intelligent creature as he appeared to a family of farmers from the Isle of Man. The first sighting of Gef dates to September of 1931, when the man, his wife, and their daughter heard a scratching behind the wooden walls. The family stands that the source appeared to be a talking mongoose, introducing himself as Gef and telling them that he was born in New Dehli in 1852. The family continued to communicate with the mongoose for years, claiming that he was a very educated creature, and a protector of their house. According to the farmers, the creature said that he is a freak and has hands and legs, and that if they would see him they would be shocked and petrified. Irvings say that the Gef helped them to wake up at time in the morning, and put down the fire if it was needed, and cleared the house off mice. He liked chocolates and sweets, and even accompanied the family on trips, staying in the bushes though. There is no physical evidence of mongoose’s existence, although some locals told reporters that they heard his voice. In the middle of the 20th century the family sold the house, and the person who bought it claimed she shoot the mongoose, although the Irvings’ daughter was sure it was not Gef. Critics say the story was a hoax and even state they caught the daughter of the family making noises, but the psychics and the paranormal-lovers continue to look for evidences of Gef’s existence even these days. Whatever it was true or not is unknown, and there are still no sane explanations to the story, for even the family was calling Gef a ghost some times, and some sort of an animal at others, and the fur they said he left was found out as belonging to their dog.

5. Shadow People

Shadows | Source

The legend of shadow people became popular in early 2000s, and to these days it catches the interest of psychologists and paranormal seekers. The witnesses say that they see shadowy silhouettes in their rooms or outside that are shaped like people and communicate with them in certain ways. They claim that the shadow people look as if they are made from shadow and darkness itself, even in a lighted room, or be a part of the shadows the light creates. While some people say they are angry and their intentions are to harm the residents, others are sure that these phantoms are friendly and bring peace. Many describe them as putting a terrible frightening feeling in their mind when they see the figures, like the “person” in unfriendly and wants to hurt them, while others are just puzzled and surprised to see the shadows and feel like that the shadow people are just there like a normal person would be. Psychologists explain the sightings of shadow people as the cases of sleep paralysis, hallucinations, or just creations of imagination. Although some cases remain unexplained as witnesses state that the dark people communicate with them, move, and even try to attack them while they are fully awake and did not expect anything.